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SEVEN NINJA TIPS TO BECOME CULTURE SAVVY
By Edmée Schalkx, PCC & Henriëte Wentholt, ACC
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wELCOME!
Congratulations for taking action! We are so excited to go with you on this discovery trip!
7 Ninja Tips to become culture savvy was written to take you through a discovery on how culture impacts your daily life and how with simple tips you can approach culture “things”.
On a late spring afternoon while sitting under the cherry blossom in Edmée’s garden our conversation took us back to the life abroad, the travels, countries, languages and people that have shaped us.
Images from our lives in the many countries we’ve been lucky to know well passed in front of our eyes: countries where we lived at different points of our lives, the languages we spoke ( 8 among the two of us!), being an expat (Henriëtte) and how being a 3rd culture kid – TCK (Edmée) has shaped us.
Soon we talked about our work - coaching, training and mentoring – and how culture had an impact on us and our clients. We asked ourselves how we could use our knowledge, expertise and experiences to support coaches and managers when they are coaching people from other countries. And so is how this book came to be.
7 Ninja Tips to become culture savvy and the insights that follow it bring will bring you deeper into the subject and give you tools on how to approach culture in your daily life. Our hope for you is that you have fun when reading he tips or doing the exercises!
Bon voyage, goede reis, buen viaje, boa viagem, buon viaggio, travel safe.
Henriëtte and Edmée
Learn to observe your surroundingsSharpening your observation skills helps you to connect, stay focused and
be aware of people’s needs and non-verbal communication.
When you “observe” (which is different to look) you become aware of your
assumptions and biases. Observation helps you connect with others and be
present, therefore experiencing people on a deeper level.
“Once you understand and appreciate other
people’s cultural background, then you can also connect with
them more “ Unknown
Tip 1
Chris Rubberdragon - Flickr
basket weaver - south america
Tip 02
What are elements you can name that make you part of a group? – Language,
customs, religion, etc.
“You have to have a taste of culture to
understand it”Deborah Carter
We tend to assume that individuals who belong to a group share common values, attitudes, ideas, beliefs, and customs, therefore these elements are
not questioned. People accept them as rules and live by them.
Step in someone else’s shoes
Jirka Matousek- Flickr
dutch clogs
Check your assumptions and biases and adjust what you deem necessary to stay receptive to others.Expand on your knowledge and experience regarding different cultures and behaviours.
“Exposing yourself to various cultures is so vital towards your
personal growth”Dau Voire
Tip 3
Genuine interest triggers real concern. Practice the art of listening, understanding and asking questions without judgement and engaging in
open conversations.
open yourself to different experiences
Garry Platt - Flickr
venice carnival
Notice how language impacts culture
Just a few of the surprising ways language influences the way we think:• How we view time - what value do you give
time? For Americans “time is money” for the Latinos, time is stretchable, mañana is fine too.
• The effects of gender – in English you do not indicate gender on things like it happens in Spanish or French. The house, la casa, the boy, el niño.
• How we see colours – when you live by the sea you probably can name wider array of “sea” colours (light blue, aquamarine, etc.) than when you live near the woods.
“We do not want to be all the same, but we want to understand
each other”Unknown
Tip 4
Language affects how we experience the world, playing a role in everything from how we save for retirement to the colours we see.
Zokaloma - Flickr
spice market- istanbul
Notice your cultural bias
Bias is usually something negative as it is a prejudice, predisposition or a standpoint. Biases can help you to protect your ideas, but they cannot make you safer, nor help you to connect with an open mind. Bias is an inclination to hold to a way of looking at situations and experiencing something. Biases are learned implicitly within cultural contexts.
“Culture is what makes you a stranger when
you’re away from home “
Philip Brock
Tip 5
To understand the consequences of biases you first need to become aware of your biases and assumptions.
Peter Salansky- Flickr
midsummer celebration - sweden
Notice when you stumble upon culture
As coach or manager, take some time to reflect when you struggle with your ideas or feelings which seem different from others. Are your communication and observation skills (or the lack of them) supporting you to connect with others?
And are you willing to listen to other ideas and ways of solving things? Asking yourself these of questions will help you in dealing with people with a different attitude to life, where their culture, beliefs, and way of doing things differ from yours.
“Culture is the widening of the mind
and of the spirit“ Jawaharlal Nehru
Tip 6
Are your thoughts or perspectives dictating your emotions? Is the lack of information and or experience getting in the way of allowing you to see
that there are different ways of approaching the same situation?
Girish Gopi - Flickr
origami- japan
tell a white lie ;-)
For example: would you pay a waiter a bit of money to get the best table in the restaurant so you can impress your boss? What about telling a white lie?.In some cultures these are easy decisions to take while in others is more difficult.We invite you to reflect on these issues before they happen so you are prepared and react from your stand point but can explain to third parties.
“The beauty of the world lies in the
diversity of its people”Unknown
Tip 7
Do you know what are your norms and values and where you put the crossing line? Often we find ourselves in difficult spots where we need to make a decision, but it’s difficult because it might go against our beliefs.
Salvatore Vastano - Flickr
Pinocchio
conclusion
Are you hungry for more? Please do not forget to send us a postcard sharing your travels, learnings and experience
Edmée & Henriëtte
“Our culture, our traditions, our
language are the foundation upon
which we build our identity”
Keep recording your findings about what are you learning.Have you changed your approach about culture and how do you define
culture?
about the authors
Edmée Schalkx, PCCCoaching, Training & Mentoring, ANDE
HenriËtte Wentholt, ACCCoaching &Training, WENTHOLT
Edmée is a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) and a Certified Mentor Coach with over 15 years of broad international experi-ence supporting coaches to prepare for ICF certifications and individuals with their personal growth. Her trademark program, Jumpstart to Success, helps individuals achieve their goals with-out struggle. She is also the author of the accompanying book, Congratulations! You Hired a Coach.
Edmée works in English, Dutch and Spanish, keeping her at-tuned to cultural and diversity issues in her practice. A PCC since 2005 and a member of the International Coach Federation (ICF) since 2000, she used her extensive knowledge of the organiza-tion to found the Netherlands’ first ICF chapter in 2005 and in the establishment of ICF Europe. Edmée also served as a vol-unteer for the ICF Certification and Accreditation Work Group, giving her an in-depth understanding of ICF core competencies as well as coaching and mentor coaching requirements.
Henriëtte is a graduated Psychologist and an Associated Certi-fied Coach (ICF) with broad international experience on the subject of culture which she acquired during her years living and working abroad for non-profit organizations located in Brazil and China, and as a Committee Member of “Lives in Transition”, a program designed for people experiencing career transition in response to the economic downturn in the greater New York Area.
Her company Wentholt Coaching & Training, founded in 2002, works with individuals as well as non-profits, financial organizations, minis-tries and multinational companies like Heineken, Unilever, Tyco, etc. She coaches individuals and managers working internationally, also supporting expats partners to pursue their careers.
Henriëtte currently lives in The Hague (The Netherlands) with her hus-band and 3 kids and speaks English, Dutch and (Brazilian) Portuguese.
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